Ɛpsilon

To C. G. Ehrenberg   30 December 1873

Down, | Beckenham, Kent.

Dec 30. 73

Dear & honoured Sir,

Owing to some delay in the transit, I received only yesterday your letter of Oct. 20th, together with your extremely kind present of your last work.1 That a veteran who has done such great service for Science, & one whom I have reverenced for between 30 & 40 years, should esteem me worthy of receiving this present with its flattering inscription2 & your generous letter, is in my judgment one of the greatest honours which could possibly be conferred on me.

Pray accept my sincere thanks and with profound respect, | I beg leave to remain | Honoured Sir | Yours very truly obliged | Charles Darwin

LS

1
See letter from C. G. Ehrenberg, 20 October 1873 and n. 2. The reference is to Ehrenberg 1873. CD’s copy is in the Darwin Library–Down.
2
The inscription reads, ‘Dem hochzuverehrsten Weltumsegler und Naturforscher | Charles Darwin | in herzliche Anerkennung seines wichtigen Beitragen | der Verfasser’ (To the most highly honoured circumnavigator and naturalist, Charles Darwin, in heartfelt recognition of his important contributions. The author).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-9192,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-9192